Yuan Shao Sets a Trap

Jizhou, Jieqiao.

It had taken only a year for Gongsun Zan's army to go from surging forward with unstoppable momentum to advancing step by painful step.

Over the past year or so, almost all of the three hundred thousand troops under Yuan Shao's command—apart from the one hundred thousand sent to Bingzhou—had been rotated through the front lines.

In other words, they had taken turns going to war, experiencing the battlefield atmosphere, and gaining combat experience, progressing from recruits into veterans.

It was not just the soldiers. The lower-ranking officers and senior commanders, including Yuan Shao himself, had all seen their experience grow rapidly after more than a year of training.

That was what made players who spent money so detestable. With money, they could do whatever they pleased. They had poured huge amounts of supplies into the war. Although they had lost as many as forty or fifty thousand soldiers and surrendered vast stretches of land, the experience they gained had let them level up rapidly. Even now, these spendthrift players had yet to suffer any crippling losses.

On the contrary, they had everything prepared. They were getting ready to give Gongsun Zan a devastating blow!

"What did Liu Yu say?" Yuan Shao asked Guo Tu, who had just returned from Youzhou.

"That old fox Liu Yu gave no clear answer, but his meaning was obvious. If we can truly defeat Gongsun Zan, he won't mind kicking him while he's down. If we can't, then there's no point discussing anything." Guo Tu stroked the little mustache above his lips, his face full of disdain.

He looked down on Liu Yu. The realm was already in chaos, yet Liu Yu was still using the same approach he had used in the court more than a decade ago—ambiguous and indecisive. At